Device for locking toilet seat and seat cover to a toilet bowl



V 1955 H. L WILLIAMS DEVICE FOR LOCKING TOILET SEAT AND SEAT COVER TO A TOILET BOWL Filed May 51, 1952 HENRY L. W/LL/AME:

INVENTOR.

DEVICE FOR LOCKING TOILET SEAT AND SEAT COVER TO A TOILET BOWL Henry L. Williams, Gardiner, Oreg.

Application May 31, 1952, Serial No. 291,045

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-453) This invention relates to improvements in toilet seats and more particularly to means for locking a toilet seat and seat cover to each other and to the toilet bowl in a closed position to prevent young children from dropping toys or other articles into the toilet bowl and to prevent them from playing in the water normally maintained within the bowl.

A further object is the provision of a lock of this character which may be quickly and conveniently attached and locked to the bowl or unlocked and detached from the bowl by an adult.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of a lock made in accordance with my invention in locked engagement with a toilet bowl and a seat and seat cover attached thereto and with parts broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the lock in two stages ofits operation.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing:

In Figure 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a conventional toilet bowl having the usual inwardly extending flange 2 around its top rim. Pivotally attached to the bowl 1 by a common hinge pin 3, is a conventional toilet seat 4 and seat cover 5 therefor. The bottom surface of the seat 4 is held in spaced relation to the rim of the bowl 1 by the usual rubber knobs 6 and the seat cover 5 is spaced-apart from the seat by similar knobs 7.

The invention comprises a bar of spring steel, generally indicated at 8, whose forward end terminates in a downwardly and forwardly extending portion 9 provided with a rubber knob 10 for engagement beneath the flange 2 of the bowl 1. The bar is turned into a substantially horizontal portion 11 then upwardly and rearwardly, as at 12, then horizontally as at 13 and then into a V-shaped portion 14 and finally horizontally again. The bottom end of the V-shaped portion 14 is provided with a rubber knob 15 to bear against the top of the seat cover 5 to lock it to the seat 4 and the forward end of the seat to the bowl 1. To the underside of the rear end of the bar 8, I secure the bottom wall 16 of a housing 17 open at both of its ends. To the top surface of this end of the bar I secure a plate 18 formed with alternate convolutions throughout its length and thereby adapt d for selective meshed locking engagement with a correspondingly formed companion plate 19 secured to the underside of a locking arm 20 whose rear end is turned downwardly as at 21 and then forwardly as at 22 and provided with a rubber pad 23 for firm engagement with the bottom rear United States Patent 0 'ice edge of the seat cover 5 as shown. With the parts in the full line positions shown in Figure 1, the corrugated plate 18 is held in locked engagement with the corresponding corrugated plate 19 and the locking bar by means of the upward spring pressure of the rear end of the bar 8, rearwardly from the knob 15, which is resisted by the locking arm 20 due to its locked engagement with the rear edge of the seat cover by means of the rubber pad 23, as aforesaid. When the rear end of the bar 8 is pressed downwardly into the broken line position shown in Figure 1 the plates 18 and 19 become separated which enables the locking arm 20 to be slid rearwardly into the dotted line position shown and out of engagement with the seat cover so that the device in its entirety may be removed from the seat, seat cover and toilet bowl. The plates 18 and 19 may be smoothly advanced in either direction into and out of engagement with each other. The forward end of the locking arm 20 is turned upwardly as at 24 to serve as a limit stop for the rearward movement of the locking bar when the limit stop comes into contact with the forward end of the top wall of the housing 17.

In Figure 3 the bar 8 is shown in full lines in a relaxed and elevated position with the locking arm 20 moved rearwardly to substantially its limit of movement and out of engagement with the rear edge of the seat cover.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A device for locking a toilet seat to a toilet bowl and a seat cover to the seat, comprising in combination a flat elongated spring steel bar turned downwardly at its formed end then rearwardly then downwardly and forwardly for placement beneath the forward end of a toilet seat and into engagement with the underside of the rim of a toilet bowl, a hollow housing surrounding the rear end portion of said bar and secured to the underside thereof, a locking arm slidably mounted within said housing and extending rearwardly and downwardly therefrom then forwardly for engagement with the rear edge of a seat cover, a plate secured to the rear end of said elongated bar within said housing and being formed with alternate convolutions throughout its length, a correspondingly formed matching plate secured to the underside of the locking arm within the housing for selective and spring-urged engagement with said. first mentioned plate when presented thereto from either direction, a depression formed intermediate the ends of said elongated bar for applying downward pressure at :a single point of contact to the seat cover against said seat when said cooperating locking means are in locked engagement with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 746,590 Shoop 2. Dec. 8, 1903 897,423 Stenberg Sept. 1, 1908 1,12 ,169 Tabor Dec. 8, 1914 2,207,968 Brasure July 16, 1940 2,404,124 DesRoches July 16, 1946 2,524,632 Morrison Oct. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 987,770 France Apr. 18, 1951 

